Week of June 10-16

Lil Jon & The Eastside Boyz Put Yo Hood Up
TVT Records
In what seems to be the new trend in hip-hop, major distributors singing indie southern acts, TVT has scooped up Lil Jon & The Eastside Boyz...ATL crunk kings. This CD is packed with pure energy from beginning to end, with a supporting ccast that'll break most artists' recording budget in half. "Bia, Bia" with Too Short, Chyna Whyte, & Ludacris will shut down any club in Americca. "Move Bitch" with Three 6 Mafia, Gangsta Boo, and the Youngbloodz is straight off da chain. Eightball & MJG show up on "Can't Stop Pimpin". For the most part, this entire project was produced by Lil John. And even though this CD is crunk, he realy mixes his sounds well. If you've never experienced the ATL crunk sound, this is the CD to get.

Tom Skeemask You Can't Hold Me Back
Mo Cheda Records
Orange Mound Tennessee veteran Tom Skeemask is back to attack with his sophomore release. As usual, DJ Squeeky done all the production on this joint. I gotta say "You Can't Hold Me Back" is the tightest release I've heard out of Tennessee this year. Tom Skee's lyrics and DJ Squeeky's beats got together like a dick and a condom. "Don't Nobody" features Khujo of the Goodie Mobb and describes ghetto life perfectly. "Where My Killaz At", "Stick Em Up", and "What U Mob Like" will definitely bang the clubs all year. Tom also shows his sensitive side with "I Miss You" and "Daddy Loves His Babies". Mr. Skee will not be held back after this strong effort.

Various Artists Game Over II
JCOR Ent.
Producers Domingo and DJ Rob berak us off with Game over II, the second installment of their arcade influenced CD. Unfortunately this disc does not quite live up to the last even though they damn near had a cast call for rappers. It was good to see old schoolers Big Daddy kane with "Flame On" and K-solo with "Code of da Street". Das Efx also make an attempt at a club cut with "If U Luv", which doesn't work. "If U Only Knew" by KRS-One is one of his weakest cuts in years. "Rap2k1" by Masta Ace and "What's Da Flavor" by Heltah Skeltah are the tightest cuts on here. The shocker on this CD is on "Mobb Niggaz" by Infamous Mobb with Prodigy as he rips into Jay Z and the whole Roc-A-Fella clan.

D.I.M.E. Poverty & Prosperity
Da Dirty South Records
Reppin LA to the fullest is the group DIME which consists of producer/rapper Ka Dosha and Black Chill. Fans might remember Chill from a few years back form his collabo with Sylk-E-Fine "Romeo & Juliet". They attempt to redo that hit with "Romeo & Juliet 2001" with Ms. Toi and Jewell but it doesn't really work for me. Sylk E. is also along for the ride on "Manners" which is hot. DIME, unlike other LA rappers, doesn't have many gangster tales instead they take the bling-bling approach. My favorite cuts are "Lie, Lie, Lie", "Man Power", and "If We Can't Eat" with C-Bo and Killa Tay. This is a decent release for a group who live by the "ball or starve" theory.

Queen Pen Conversations with Queen
Motown
After letting us know a "Party Ain't A Party", having a baby, and switching labels, and 4 years, Queen Pen is back and hard as ever. "I Got Cha", the lead single, is a cut that explains her absence and takes some industry shots that'll make you wonder who. "QP Walks" is a remake of Stetsasonics "Sally" complete with Daddy-O on production. QP really touches on some issues like relationships on "Ghetto Divorce", and "Baby Daddy". "Revolution" with Stephan Marley is a straight eye opener and shows QP's lyrical range. "True", which is a remake is this CD's only downfall. I strongly advise all to have a conversation with Queen.

3RE Tha Hardaway DS Foundation
Dead Serious Records
Box, Ce2d, and Black pacino of the group 3RE Tha Hardaway are back after the success of their underground release "undaconstruction", this time with major distribution. If you're not familiar with da 3re just to let you know, there won't be any bling-blinging on this CD, just grime. Each song is a tale of ghetto life. Check out "Born in tha Ghetto (Rmx)" with Three 6 Mafia, that shit is bangin. Daz Dillinger of the Dogg Pound makes two remarkable appearances on "Animal" and "Affiliation II". They also enlist UGK's Pimp C to drop beats on "Head Crack" and this year's summer anthem "Miami Timez". The legendary Mike Fresh also resurfaced to produce 5 cuts on this soon to be Miami classic. "DS Foundation" is a good major start for a group that is yet to be taken dead serious.

Pastor Troy Face Off
Universal Records
The leader of the wicked church pastor Troy is back and ready for war. Never in my history of hip-hop have I witnessed one emcee rep his area (GA) like Troy does. The first single "This Tha City" is a tribute to the ATL with one of the hardest guitar licks known to hip-hop. "Frame Me" displays Troy's storytelling skills. "No More Play in GA", the song that started it all for Troy, is also in this disc. He also teams up with labelmates Co-Ed on "Can You Stand the Game". With a debut as strong as this one, Troy strongly lives up to all his hype.